Loetju.id - G.A.T.E, a rising virtual band that consists of Juno Chapel (vocal, guitar), Ben Waller (bass) and Hana Takahashi (drum) welcome you to the G.A.T.E-verse with their first ever music video for “Giants Among The Elders''. The unit which was first introduced through @suneatercoven on Instagram used the opportunity to introduce each member, their personal traits, go-to bite and favorite hangout place in this music video produced by Sun Eater Studio in collaboration with Monocá collective.
“The main plot of this music video is an intro as a new band. Who we are, what we like, and where we’re from. Like a brief get-to-know us visual for those who have heard of us or those who barely knew G.A.T.E. So the concept is similar to an old band video that showed us jamming, hanging out, nothing too serious haha,” said Ben Waller, the eldest in this band. Ben added that besides an introduction, you can also see them on a quest to look for the best Betawinese Soto in town that turned out to be proudly cooked by himself.
When asked whether there’s correlation between this dish and their philosophy as a band, they jokingly answered that there’s no specific reason. Juno comically uttered “Ben could find hundreds of philosophies on this topic. But for me as an analogy, I could be the meat, Uncle Ben could be the innards, and Hana could act as the veggies in this bowl of Soto Betawi…hahahahah! You should try Ben’s Soto Betawi which is UNMATCHED!”
Directed by Sahid Permana, the video for “Giants Among The Elders” provides a blend of Jakarta and G.A.T.E’s universe with the trio seamlessly showcased the best of both worlds. They unanimously choose Blok-M as their favorite go-to place in Jakarta for various reasons. “I love the new literacy park!” said Hana excitedly. She stated record stores and secondhand book stores at Blok M mall is one of the places that you could find her wandering alone.
The interconnecting public transportation access also plays a big role on why this area becomes the favorite of this trio. Ben further added that Blok M’s vibrant and bustling atmosphere could represent Jakarta’s old and current eras. “There’s this retro feeling of Jakarta, but at the same time we could still feel the connection to a modern city that is moving forward.
There’s an overlapping vibe of time periods that is manifested by many modern cafés, old establishments, and a terminal that sees people come and go. As a place that used to become the center of Japanese culture or ‘Japan District’ back in the days, it’s a no-brainer for Juno and Hana who’s known as fans of this culture, to fall in love with this place,” Ben said.
The trio who decided to form a band after a unique encounter of Ben and Juno in a convenience store, collaborated with a renowned band in Indonesia, which is Sasa. G.A.T.E. feel that the values and spirit of Sasa that always spread positivity for everyone, is suitable with their vision and music core.
Vice versa, Sasa feels that the dream and spirit of G.A.T.E. in making music, adds refreshing value in spreading happiness. As a big fan of Ben’s culinary creation, Juno also said that cooking and eating have become an escape for the band when they hit a wall while trying to find melodies, lyrics, or arrangements for their songs. Hence, Sasa has always been an accompaniment for their journey as musicians.
G.A.T.E’s universe won’t stop on this music video, as the band slightly hinted that there will be an expanding visual form in which we could get to know more about their back story and future plans. “Of course there will be more visuals from us, just so you wait! Actually all of our journeys are presented through our Instagram page, so hit the follow button and you’ll find our stories there. Psst, the admin is a very mysterious being,” said Juno as Hana added that everyone could tell that Juno is the man behind their social media.
The wisest of the bunch, Ben, playfully spilled that they desperately need content people to help them develop their stories as web series or short stories. While doing so, he said that G.A.T.E is currently preparing their second single so the listeners should be looking forward to it. In the meantime, the video for “Giants Among The Elders” is ready to be enjoyed on the band’s official Youtube account on July 17th, 2023.
